CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials with WorkForce West Virginia will be in Logan County on Friday looking to help dislocated miners find the education and training for new jobs.
The National Emergency Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is providing retraining and re-employment services to coal miners and eligible family members affected by the loss of jobs. WorkForce has staged an informational meeting at the Southern Community and Technical College campus in Mount Gay from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
“We see dislocations from coal mines almost on a weekly basis at this point,” said Amber Jackson with WorkForce. “We definitely want to make sure that we’re making everyone that has been affected by a coal industry layoff aware of what the funding, the training that is available to them.”
The funds from the grant provide up to $5,000 for participants to receive occupational skills training in high-demand fields such as health-related occupations, commercial truck driving, welding, electrical engineering, HVAC repair, diesel technology, and chemical processing. Participants who meet training program attendance requirements will also be eligible for training allowances to cover expenses for gas, food, child care, etc. at the rate of $20 per day for the days attending class up to $100 per week.
“There is lots of different training programs available,” Jackson said. “This is kind of an opportunity to see what’s available at Southern Community and Technical College and give an overview of the programs there, just give them an insight on what’s available.”
For those who may make a long trip to the meeting, but may not want to travel to Mount Gay on a consistent basis for training, Jackson said there are alternative sites that work with the grant program.
“There’s other training providers that are on this approved provider list that the individuals affect and are eligible training funding could access.”
The program has seen its share of success. The Cooks from Naoma in Raleigh County are one of hundreds of families who have taken advantage of the funding.
Andrea Cook had been a stay-at-home mother for several years. After her husband Mark Cook’s layoff, she was determined to get back into the workforce and started LPN school at the Academy of Careers and Technology.
Now she is employed as an LPN at AccessHealth in Beckley.
While Mark was laid off recently from a construction job, he used funding to earn a CDL license and has an offer for a new job as a driver.
“The more skills you have, the better off you are if you lose your job,” he said. “We’d be hurting if she didn’t have a job and I didn’t have one lined up.”
More information on the grant and to determine if one is eligible for it can be found at WorkforceWV.org/minelayoff or call by calling 1-800-252-JOBS.